Background Essay on:

National Healthcare Challenges of the Presidency

To many Americans, healthcare is considered a human right. In fact, Harry S. Truman, 33rd president of the

United States, said, “I put it to you, is it un-American to visit the sick, aid the afflicted or comfort the dying? I

thought that was simple Christianity.” Harry Truman would carry on the legacy of FDR in trying to provide

American men, women, children and elderly with national healthcare. Truman would pave the way for future

presidents such as Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, whose administrations strove toward the

same goal.

In 1945, President Truman proposed a national healthcare plan to Congress. In his plan, he outlined five main

goals:

1. Address the lack of trained healthcare professionals in all communities.

2. Grow public health services.

3. Increase funding to medical research and education.

4. Lower the cost of individual medical care.

5. Bring attention to the loss of income when severe illness takes hold.

Truman’s plan was that all Americans would pay a certain amount in fees and taxes each month to cover the

new healthcare program’s costs. With a Democratic controlled house, Truman’s proposal turned into a bill that

would end up as part of the Social Security expansion, but it was quickly shot down as people began to fear an

increase in taxes. Some people even feared the program would be a “Communist” act, giving too much control

to the federal government. This fear was spread specifically by the American Medical Association (AMA). The

bill was also halted by Republican Senator Robert Taft’s Taft-Smith-Ball Bill, which would allow states to

make healthcare private. As Republicans regained control of the House in 1946, Truman’s healthcare bill died.

Truman considered this a failure of his presidency.

The United States would continue its fight for national healthcare during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency.

Healthcare would be a critical point in Johnson’s “Great Society.” In 1965 in Independence, Missouri, President

Johnson signed the Medicare Act of 1965 which would provide healthcare to U.S. citizens age 65 and older.

President and Mrs. Truman were present at the signing, and President Johnson dubbed former President Truman

“the real daddy of healthcare.” Johnson would also sign a Medicaid bill providing healthcare for low-income

Americans.

We would see healthcare come to the forefront again during the Clinton administration. In 1993, President Bill

Clinton would launch the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. President Clinton would place his wife

and then First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton as the leader of the task force. For multiple reasons including the

complexity of the bill, by 1994 the bill was dead and would not be a success.

National healthcare reform would be brought to the forefront again during the Obama Administration. Known

as the Affordable Care Act of 2010, this act would require that individuals purchase a health care plan or face a

penalty. While this bill was signed, there has been much opposition. The main reason for the opposition of

President Obama’s bill is that many disagree with a government role and mandates where healthcare is

concerned. This is very similar to backlash against President Truman’s, Clinton’s and even Johnson’s bills.

Harry S. Truman paved the way for healthcare reform in the United States, and criticisms against his bill have

also remained throughout American history. Many presidents have followed in Truman’s footsteps to try to

provide what is considered a “universal human right” to all Americans. The question that remains is: What led

to Truman’s failure of passing a healthcare bill during his presidency?

Source 1

President Truman’s response Note: The letter below, written by President Truman, was in response to Dr. Moorman’s letter warning about the

evils of a national healthcare system. Dr. Lewis J. Moorman wrote a book based on is practice as a midwestern

doctor called, Pioneer Doctor which was published in 1951.

Source Information: Correspondence Between President Harry S. Truman and Lewis Moorman, July 7, 1947.

Page 1 of 5.

Using Source 1

Sourcing

Who was the author of this text? Circle the author. When was the text written? Underline the date.

Contextualization Questions

How might circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

How does Truman feel about the individual writing this letter?

Close Reading Questions

How does the document’s language indicate the author’s perspective?

Source 2

President Truman’s letter Note: The letter below is President Truman’s response to a letter written by family friend (from Lee’s Summit) Ben

Turoff regarding the national healthcare program. Over the years, President Truman and the Turoff family

communicated back and forth, even exchanging birthday and Christmas cards. Notice the difference in tone

between source 1 and source 2.

Source Information: Letter to Ben Turoff regarding healthcare April 1949.

Glossary

Socialized medicine- the provision of medical and hospital care for all by means of public funds.

Using Source 2

Sourcing

Who was the author of this text? Is he a reliable source? Why or why not?

Contextualization Questions

When and where was the document created?

Corroboration Tasks

What does this document say?

Close Reading Questions

What language does the author use to persuade the document’s audience?

Source 3

Letter to President Truman from the MALU

Note: Many professional organizations voiced their opposition to President Truman’s proposed National

Healthcare Plan.

Source Information: Resolution, Montana Association of Life Underwriters June 22, 1949.

Glossary

Underwriter-is someone whose job is to judge the risks involved in certain activities and decide how much to

charge for insurance.

Using Source 3

Sourcing 1. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

2. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

1. How might the circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

1. What makes this document reliable or not?

Close Reading Questions

1. What claims does the author make?

Source 4

Cover of “The Road Ahead” by John T. Flynn Note: John Thomas Flynn (October 25, 1882 – April 13, 1964) was an American journalist best known for his

opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and to American entry into World War II. In September 1940, Flynn

helped establish the America First Committee (AFC). He was also the first to advance the Pearl Harbor advance-

knowledge conspiracy theory. Below is the cover of his book, “The Road Ahead” outlining the evils of a national

healthcare system. Flynn thought a national healthcare system would lead to Communism.

Source Information: The Road Ahead: America's Creeping Revolution, 1949 by John T. Flynn

Using Source 4

Sourcing Questions

1. Identify the source and date of the document.

2. What is the author’s perspective?

Contextualization Questions

1. How might the circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

1. What other documents have a similar point of view?

Close Reading Questions

1. What language does the author use to persuade the document’s audience?

Source 5

Socialized Medicine Cartoon Note: By 1946, many of the professional medical groups and insurance companies in the United States were

working hard to stop the passage of President Truman’s National Healthcare Plan. Below is one piece of

propaganda used to persuade readers.

Source Information: “Still Just as Hard to Swallow.” Showdown on Political Medicine. Pamphlet. Chicago, IL:

National Physicians’ Committee for the Extension of Medical Services, 1946, cartoon on back cover page. From

National Library of Medicine.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Using Source 5

Sourcing Questions

1. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

2. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

This article is an editorial, which expresses the author’s opinion. How do you think the author of this cartoon feels about national healthcare?

Corroboration Tasks

1. What other documents share a similar perspective with this political cartoon?

Close Reading Questions

1. What claim does this author make? 2. What language (words, phrases, images,

symbols) does the author use to persuade the document’s audience?

Source 6

Concise outline of the AMA’s argument against President Truman’s National Healthcare

Proposal Note: The AMA’s long campaign against national health insurance took many forms including images, cartoons,

newspaper and magazine space, often including the word “socialism” as a tactic to persuade the public.

Source Information: "A Condensation Prepared by the Bureau of Legal Medicine and Legislation, American

Medical Association." April 28, 1949.

Glossary

Condensation- compression of a written or spoken work into more concise form.

Using Source 6

Sourcing Questions

1. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

2. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

1. How might the circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

1. What other documents share a similar perspective with this political cartoon?

Close Reading Questions

1. What claims does the author makes? 2. What evidence does the author use?

Source 7 Note: In 1942, after G. Lloyd Spencer decided not to seek re-election, McClellan ran for the Senate again and this

time won. He served as Senator from Arkansas from 1943 to 1977, when he died in office. During his tenure, he

served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee and served 22 years as chairman of the Committee on

Government Operations. McClellan was the longest serving United States Senator in Arkansas history.

Source Information: McClellan, John L. “Studies, Surveys, Reports, and Proposals. Medical Meeting of County

Medical Society Officers.” July 1, 1949.

Using Source 7

Sourcing Questions

1. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

2. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

1. How might the circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

1. What other documents have a different perspective with this text?

Close Reading Questions

1. What claims does the author make? 2. How does the document’s language

indicate the author’s perspective?

Source 8 Notes: Senator Robert Taft (R-OH),introduced the Taft-Smith-Ball bill, which called for matching grants to states to

subsidize private health insurance for the needy. Although the AMA supported this bill, Truman was against it

because he believed it would halt the political progress he had made in guaranteeing every American health

insurance.

Source

Information:

Memorandum, "Facts

about S. 545 (The

Taft-Ball- Smith-

Donnell Health Bill)".

CA. 1947.

Using Source 8

Sourcing Questions

1. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

2. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

1. How might the circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

What other documents share a similar perspective with this political cartoon?

Close Reading Questions

1. How does the document’s language indicate the author’s perspective?

Source 9

Letter from citizen against President Truman’s Healthcare Plan Note: President Truman heard from many citizens regarding his proposed National Healthcare Plan. Many, like

below, were not in favor.

Source Information: Letter from F. C. LeBlond to President Harry S. Truman. November 27, 1945.

Glossary

Christian Science- the beliefs and practices of the Church of Christ Scientist, a Christian sect founded by Mary

Baker Eddy in 1879. Members hold that only God and the mind have ultimate reality, and that sin and illness are

illusions that can be overcome by prayer and faith.

Regimentation-is very strict control over the way a group of people behave or the way something is done.

Using Source 9

Sourcing Questions

1. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

2. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

1. How might the circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

1. What other documents share a similar perspective with this text?

Close Reading Questions

1. What claims does the author make?

Source 10

Letter from small business owner, W.I. Sargent outlining his issues with the President’s

Healthcare Plan Note: The most controversial aspect of the plan was the proposed national health insurance plan. In his November

19, 1945 address, President Truman called for the creation of a national health insurance fund to be run by the

federal government. This fund would be open to all Americans, but would remain optional. Participants would pay

monthly fees into the plan, which would cover the cost of any and all medical expenses that arose in a time of

need. The government would pay for the cost of services rendered by any doctor who chose to join the program.

In addition, the insurance plan would give a cash balance to the policy holder to replace wages lost due to illness or

injury.

Source Information: Letter from W. I. Sargent to President Harry S. Truman, January 4, 1946. Truman Papers,

Official File. OF 286-A: Socialized Medicine.

Glossary

Compulsory- required

Using Source 10

Sourcing Questions

1. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

2. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

1. How might circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

1. What other documents share a similar perspective with this text?

Close Reading Questions

1. What claims does the author make? 2. How does the document's language

indicate the author’s perspective?

Source 11

AMA Postcard to physicians regarding President Truman’s Healthcare Plan

Dear Senator:

Please vote against all Compulsory Health Insurance Bills pending before the Legislature. We have enough

regimentation in this country now. Certainly we don’t want to be forced to go to “A State doctor,” or to pay for

such a doctor whether we use him or not. That system was born in Germany—and is part and parcel of what our

boys are fighting overseas. Let’s not adopt it here.

Using Source 11

Sourcing Questions

3. Who was the author of the document? (Circle the author’s name and who they are.)

4. When was the document written? (Underline the date)

Contextualization Questions

2. How might circumstances in which the document was created affect its content?

Corroboration Tasks

2. What other documents share a similar perspective with this text?

Close Reading Questions

3. What claims does the author make? 4. How does the document's language

indicate the author’s perspective?

Staging the Question: Consider the forces that work against a national healthcare system in

the United States. Write down the name of each source, and then mark which factor limiting

President Truman is present in the document.

Source President Lobbyists Republican Party

Public